perfectlap

I don't know...its some kind of proprietary thing. Spray on, buff out and when you run your finger tips over it has a really freaky 'non-stick' super slick quality about it. Kinda a dewey really... I use it on my flat panel, helmet, winshield, dash.

cdodkin

Ultima - easiest to apply - lasts 6 mths - results more than met my expectations








Home iMovie video of application on 986: (QuickTime)

http://www.dodkin.com/iMovies/Ultima-PGP.mov

Home iMovie video of water beading on Ultima: (QuickTime)

http://www.dodkin.com/iMovies/Ultima-water-1.mov

The Ultima Paint Prep Plus polish is also easy to use, a single stage polish that goes from swirls to smooth, and contains a prep product for the final sealant product.

I use with a porter cable and a Sonus Swirlbuster pad - easy and quick (compared to many muti-product polish systems)

Prep is key - wash, dry, clay, paint prep, sealant - re-apply for a longer lasting finish.

911_993_997

Thanks Andy, I agree completely that prep is the most important part. But if you read my post it says the Rejex was applied after having a pro do a wash, clay, swirl/scratch removal & final polish. Actually I saw the car before they applied the Rejex, & it was already a million times better than it was before the detail, but after they applied the Rejex, it went from being a million times better to about a billion times, lol. Unfortunately that "wet look" went away after a couple days, although my paint is still in superb condition, so what I'm trying to find, is which sealant or wax will give the best gloss & durability on an already perfectly prepped surface.

Oh, & Cdodkin: That is by far the best looking black car I've ever seen. I think I might have to give Ultima a try. I've been thinking about buying this kit: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/ult-1200.html ... Would you recommend it? Is that polisher & are those products good? Also, what kind of polish would you recommend? Should I order the Sonus SFX 1, 2, & 3?? What other products would I need besides what's in the kit so I can get a finish like yours?? & does the Ultima cleaning gel REALLY do the same thing as a clay? Or should I buy a clay as well? ... Sorry for all the noob questions, I mean I always wash & wax my own cars, but take them to a detailer for claying & polishing as I've always been scared of ruining it. But now I want to give it a try myself, since I'm a perfectionest & am never satisfied unless I do things myself.

Dennis C

I was just at our local PCA 2nd Saturday breakfast, and another 996 parked right next to mine. The difference in the shine was very noticable, and I had just waxed mine with a good carnauba wax. His 996 looked far better than mine. The difference was in the depth of the shine, as well as the very minor scratches that show up in dark colored paint. The owner of this car told me that his secret was Griot's Garage products.

I have also seen Meguiar's products used with success, and I think I may try them on the 996 first. They are all applied by hand, vs. the Griot's Garage products that are desigened to be applied with power. They have a product called ScratchX that is designed to take out minor surface scratches. The idea is that you use this first, followed by their Deep Crystal Polish product, and then finally wax the car with carnauba wax. It is a tedious 3-step process, but the results are supposed to be quite good. I think I'll try it this weekend.

Van

I'd stay way from the elastomer sponge that's supposed to replace clay... I find it scratches the paint far more than clay.

granracing

Cdodkin, those are some shiny cars. Nice.

My upcoming weekend project ingredients... Looking forward to seeing how pretty I can get the car.

Dish soap and water to remove previous wax.
Clay using detail spray with it.
Menzerna Power Finish (polish)
Chemical Guys' Jetseal 109
Rubbish Boy's Original Edition

For the convertable top, I used Raggtopp and it worked great!

I recently tried Majestic Solutions Ultra Gloss car shampoo and was amazed at how good of a car wash it is. The best car wash I've used thus far.

Dave

AudiOn19s

I'm an idiot then...I completely missed that. You have a blessing and a curse in that you can see stuff Like I do then and will nitpick each product and the small differences between them. If you don't mind the sealant look Zaino is still king in my book when it comes to durability. 3 solid coats and you're good for months. Pinnacle Souveran is the wettest, deepest wax I've used and outstanding for dark colors...but durability is horrible. I like the Dodo Juice Supernatural better as a paste for it's durability but it's a bit more shiny than the Pinnacle hence it lacks the warmth.

Or...dare I suggest Optimum car wax (spray) after each wash. It's an outstanding booster and easy to apply to get that just detailed look.

Andy

cdodkin

That kit is very comprehensive and has everything you are likely to need. (Apart from some clay)

You'd only use the SFX polish if you had a more serious defect in the paint that needed to be polished out - the Paint Prep Plus will do a great job in combination with the swirlbuster pad on light scratches and swirls.

I don't use the elastafoam pad - I find clay does the job with less chance of marring the surface. Mothers or Clay Magic from Pep Boys works wonders!

The shampoo from Ultima is very very concentrated, so only use a little bit!

Autopia are local to us in San Diego, so delivery is fast (although I notice the kit you selected is currently out of stock!)

David @ Autopia often puts on local tech session days, so keep an eye on the Autopia forums for events.

dk10438

for a sealant, I've used Klasse for years and it seems to be the most durable. it can easily last 6 months. unfortunately it's also the biggest PITA to buff. I've just purchased a Flex so I'm hoping that it'll reduce my buffing time but it works great. Usually I'll do a couple of coats of Klasse SG followed by Blitz or p21

AndyK

I used Optimum Poli-seal last time I waxed the car, and it really came out great, even though I applied it by hand, after claying.


I have to apply something again soon, and I am thinking of claying and using Rejex if the paint is nice and shiny on it's own.

The Optimum Poli seal is good because it removes fine swirl marks, and leaves a hard non-wax coating in one step. Rejex is good because it lasts forever, and is EASY to work with.

Decisions, decisions! I do have to get one of those portable tent thingys that CD has! My driveway gets a ton of sun all day. Where do you get one of those?

AudiOn19s

Brave man. I agree it's great but such a PITA to use that I only put it on wheels now. Still got the same bottle I purchased like 3 years ago and it's mostly full!

SH || NC

What's the skinny on Collinite? I've heard the Super Doublecoat Auto Wax (No. 476s) uber-durable.

Kelly / KY

Having never tried Ultima, I've been very pleased with the Zaino, although prep time is a bit exhausting on the initial work-up. I may give the Ultima a try because the look is amazing.

BillJ

I have really liked the Zaino line since I had the car fully polished a few months ago. I use Z5 and Z2 in alternation always ending with Z2 for that nice we look. I started by applying 6 really thin layers and that has lasted a solid 4 months. Each time i do a simple wash it still beads and looks great.

htny

Raphael I got yor PM, here's my take

I've used Zaino, Ultima, Rejex, a variety of cleaner waxes and sealants. They all look great but as Andy points out it doesn't matter much what you put on top if what's underneath isn't perfect to begin with. I believe the best investment you can make in car car is a random orbital polisher like the ultimate detailing machine, some good polishing pads, and some education on the subject of paint care over at detailer's domain, the autopia forums etc. Paying a detailer is a good start, but unless you know what's being done at each step you don't really know if you're getting a "full" detail from clay to compound to polish to finish to sealant etc

That having been said, as requested here's what I like the best in the categories that count:

Wash:
Optimum No Rinse is hands down the best car wash for the money I've used.

Clay:
Zaino clay feels great, I haven't tried the new improved version of elastrofoam but I hear it scratches

QD/clay lube:
Optimum No Rinse diluted in QD concentration with distilled water

Compound:
Menzerna Powergloss

Scratch Polish:
Menzerna SIP

Finishing Polish:
Menzerna Final Finish (Nano Polish)

Glass:
Stoner's Invisible Glass

Clear Plastic/clear bra/headlamps etc:
Plexus

Soft Rubber Seals:
Wurth Rubber Care Stick (Gummi Phlege)

Other Plastic & Rubber Trim:
Ultima Tire & Trim Guard

Wheels:
Wurth wheel cleaner to release dust
any wax or sealant you like to keep em fresh, rejex is nice

Tires:
I use meguiars hot shine sprayed on a sponge and wiped onto the tres, leaves a black matte finish. I reapply every ash, car is washed at least once every couple of weeks, always looks good.

Last Step Product:
I love ultima, I really do, because it goes on very, very easily. Zaino's system is simpler now and they do have a wipe on walk away product line which is supposed to be just as good. Ultima layers well.

Rejex is a great sealant for wheels, but I found it didn't look as good on black. I had a white audi I used it on and it was perfect. But not good on the black porsche, benz or dark grey BMW

Honestly, the best look I've ever seen in a single coat is the Meguiar's NXT 2.0 Tech Wax, but it is wipe on wipe off, doesn't layer and is not as easy to apply evenly in liquid form as ultima or zaino. It also doesn't last. But I bet when asked which is better looking, 9/10 people will choose a car with a single coat of NXT 2.0 vs a car with a single coat of the wipe on walk away sealants from ultima or zaino. It's cheap too.

My recommendation, if you want wet wet looking paint, is to mix up some quick detailer with distilled water (reduces spotting) and also buy a spray wax or a topper to be regularly applied over your sealant of choice, be it Ultima, Zaino, whatever, and apply when you feel you need the pop. I use Zaino Grand Finale over my ultima, it's great but lasts 2 or 3 days. A lot of guys use Optimum Car Wax, also supposed to be great and lasts much longer. No matter what you use, a spray wax without cleaners or abrasives will always make your car look like you just waxed it. Plus stop rubbing your car so much, you'll go blind.

The nice thing about ultima is you can (and will) re-apply more often than necessary because it's so easy to do, so that might obviate the need for a topper except for special occasions. I personally do not like the ultima paint prep that much, it doesn't cut, and I noticed no difference in durability with or without it.